Assembling plastic hoses and/or pipes, such as those made of PVC, for example, can be difficult because such hoses and pipes often have variations in their inner and/or outer diameters from their required specifications. This can be because of difficulty in maintaining the proper diameters during manufacturing, or because of temperature variations in the work environment, or due to cutting or other processing of the hoses or pipes, for example.
These diameter variations can make it difficult to mate and/or assemble these hoses and pipes with other hoses or pipes, or to whatever device or component they are to be attached. Further, it is often desirable to minimize the play between pipes or hoses to be mated to ensure a good seal. Thus, the outer diameter of a pipe or hose to be inserted in a receiving pipe or hose is often desired to be very close in tolerance to the inner diameter of the receiving pipe or hose.
By heating the pipe or hose, a portion of the pipe or hose (such as an end) can be made somewhat soft and pliable, making it easier to mate the pipe or hose with another fitting part or device (such as another pipe or hose). This would allow easier and often more accurate fitting to be practiced. An apparatus and/or method to facilitate this process would be desirable.